The present invention relates most generally to container opening devices and aides. More particularly, the invention relates to a jar opening aide for use with vacuum sealed jars having twist or screw off jar sealing lids.
Many foods items can be purchased packaged in clear glass and rigid plastic containers that are capped with twist-off sealing lids. Such product containers, which may be generically termed jars, provide for excellent long term storage when the contents placed in the jar are xe2x80x98vacuum packedxe2x80x99. When an individual wants to access the contents of the jar, a rotational force is applied and the jar sealing lid is twisted-off.
Although a jar and jar sealing lid of this type provides for an excellent, long term, and stable sealing of the contents within the jar, the jar lids can be difficult to initially remove. Interestingly, in most cases it is the vacuum present within the jar, and a downward force applied to the jar sealing lid by the presence of the vacuum, that creates a need for a significant rotational force (or torque) to be applied to the jar sealing lid in order to rotate and twist-off the lid. That is, an individual attempting an opening of vacuum containing jar must simultaneously grasp the jar sealing lid with a first hand and apply a significant rotational force directly to the lid, while also holding the jar firmly with a second hand. In many cases it is difficult, if not impossible, for an individual muster the strength needed to open a vacuum packed jar. This is especially true for aging and physically challenged individuals.
Therefore, skilled persons will appreciate that a releasing of a vacuum established within a jar capped with a jar sealing lid results in a significant reducing of the rotational force and associated torque required to open the jar. A number of known prior art devices are available for releasing a vacuum within a container. A first group of such devices provide what may be termed xe2x80x98pry-apartxe2x80x99 lid openers. Representative devices are taught by the U.S. Patents to Denning (U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,419), Olorenshaw (U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,432), and Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,508). Each of these devices provides a container or bucket opening device that operates by xe2x80x98prying apartxe2x80x99 a portion of the lid from an upper rim of a container. Accordingly, the containers with which these devices will work must be structured with an external rib or a suitable upper support portion formed upon the container proximate to the lid. In addition, these ribs or support portions must be capable of withstanding significant localized forces without cracking or puncturing. Many of the common jars currently used are simply not be well suited for use with these devices, as they are lacking the rib or upper ledge required.
Another prior art device, which is disclosed in the U.S. Patent to Hermansson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,265), is a xe2x80x9ccombination of a lid prying tool and a cutting edge which provides a safe, easy, efficient method of removing closely fitting lids from buckets by allowing the peripheral skirts of bucket lids to be easily and efficiently cut.xe2x80x9d The Hermansson device is not intended for use with screw-off lids, and makes no mention of them. In addition, the device taught by Hermansson is not structured to accommodate lids having significantly differing vertical heights.
A number of other prior art devices are available for use in assisting in the opening containers and jars. Some are general purpose in nature, and structured for aiding in the opening a large variety of containers, including cans, bottles and jars. Yet others are arranged for securely grasping circumferential portions of a lid or cap for increasing the torque applied to forcibly twist-off a jar sealing means. However, when considering a simply structured jar opening aide that is usable with jar sealing lids having significantly differing (vertical) heights in order to release a vacuum established within the jar, the prior is silent.
Accordingly, skilled individuals will appreciate a need for a new and or improved jar opening aide, which is structured for use with a variety of jars and jar sealing lids, and which overcomes the limitations and problems of the prior art, including those discussed above. A number of other characteristics, advantages, and or associated novel features of the present invention, will become clear from the description and figures provided herein. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. In particular, the embodiments included and described, have been chosen in order to best explain the principles, features, and characteristics of the invention, and its practical application, to thereby enable skilled persons to best utilize the invention and a wide variety of embodiments providable that are based on these principles, features, and characteristics. Accordingly, all variations possible are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
In accordance with the present invention, a jar opening aide is provided for use with vacuum sealed jars capped with a twist-off or screw-off jar sealing lid. The jar opening aide is preferably structured with a lid engaging portion, a middle portion and a handle portion. The lid engaging portion is located at a first end of the jar opening aide, while the handle portion provides a second end of the jar opening aide. The middle portion, which may be arranged with an adjustable fulcrum mechanism, acts as a structural nexus preferably rigidly coupling the lid engaging portion and the handle portion.
The lid engaging portion is configured for engaging a lower peripheral lip portion of a jar sealing lid. It may be noted that the terms lower lip, lower peripheral lip portion, and peripheral lip portion are to be considered equivalents. Preferable embodiments of the lid engaging portion include a possibly flattened, downwardly extending member. An upper or proximate end of the downwardly extending member is connected or suitably coupled at the first end of the jar opening aide. A lower or distal end of the downwardly extending member is structured with a lip engaging means. For example, contemplated lip engaging means may include an upwardly angled lip engaging tab, or equivalent structures including pegs, pins, etc. Importantly, the lip engaging means provided at the lower or distal end of the downwardly extending member is fixed to the downwardly extending member with an acute angle established between the lip engaging means (tab, peg, etc.) and the downwardly extending member. A preferred range for the acute angle is 40 to 80 degrees, with a possibly most preferred acute angle being substantially 60 degrees.
Typically, once the lid engaging portion engages the lower peripheral lip portion of the jar sealing lid, any required adjusting of the adjustable fulcrum mechanism may be effected. The adjustable fulcrum mechanism would be adjusted to level or align a longitudinal axis of the jar opening aide, as desired by a user. Next, the user securely grasps the handle portion and applies a downward force. The downward force applied to the handle portion causes an upward force to be applied to an engaged lower peripheral lip portion of the jar sealing lid, by way of the adjustable fulcrum mechanism and the lid contacting foot. Fundamentally, a xe2x80x98lever actionxe2x80x99 causes the downward force applied to the handle portion to be transformed into an upward force applied to the lower peripheral lip portion of the jar sealing lid via the lid engaging portion. Importantly, the upward force ultimately causes a lifting of the lower peripheral lip portion of the jar sealing lid, defeating a seal established thereat. The defeating of the seal causes a compromising of any vacuum present within the jar, and thereby in the process typically significantly reduces a level of friction that must be overcome for rotating and twisting-off (removing) the jar sealing lid. For example, typically the level of friction is reduced by one-half to one-tenth of an original level of friction. The actual amount of reduction to the level of friction that must be overcome to open a sealed jar in accordance with the invention is determined by the type of lid, along with the lids construction and constituent sealing component(s).
The jar opening aide of the present invention is configured with an adjustable fulcrum mechanism that is most preferably provided at, or coupled to the middle portion. As appreciated by skilled persons, the adjustable fulcrum mechanism may be embodied in a variety of structures. Importantly, the user adjustable fulcrum mechanism is arranged with a lid contacting portion, which may be termed a xe2x80x98lid contacting footxe2x80x99. The adjustable fulcrum mechanism enables an adjusting of the distance the lid contacting foot extends below a longitudinal axis of the jar opening aide. The adjusting of this distance enables the jar opening aide of the invention to be utilized with jar sealing lids of significantly differing heights. Specifically, it is contemplated that the structures of the jar opening aide disclosed herein, and equivalents providable by skilled persons, will readily function with jars lids having heights ranging substantially from 5 millimeters to 30 millimeters. However, it must be understood that by adjusting and scaling dimensions of important structures of the jar opening aide disclosed and claimed herein, jars having jar sealing lids of virtually any vertical height may be accommodated.
A simple and low cost construction of the adjustable fulcrum mechanism may be provided by including an elongated threaded member that is substantially orthogonally oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis of the jar opening aide. The elongated threaded member may be arranged for passing downwardly through the middle portion and configured for rotating by the user for moving the lid contacting foot in either of an upward or a downward direction. In order to facilitate the rotating and adjusting of the elongated threaded member, for raising and lowering the lid contacting foot, a torque increasing grasping knob, or an equivalent structure, may be fixed to a first or upper end of the elongated threaded member.
It is important to understand that the jar opening aide of the present invention may be structured as illustrated, in a substantially monolithic construction. Alternately, the present invention may be formed by using separate, joined portions. For example, the lid engaging portion, middle portion, and or handle portion may be constructed of separate and individual pieces, which are coupled or fixed to each other using one or more techniques and or means that are well understood by skilled individuals. However, as will be discussed below and as clearly shown in the included figures, the present invention is preferably constructed such that the lid engaging portion provided at the first end of the jar opening aide may be substantially formed of the same monolithic material that additionally forms portions of the middle portion and possibly the handle portion.